1996-05 • Maintaining Ambition
Enrollment at St. Joseph’s only campus had slipped to 567 women when S. George Aquin O’Connor came on board as president in 1969. By the time she retired in 1997, nearly 4,200 male and female full-time students were attending class at two bustling SJC campuses. S. George Aquin left behind a legacy of growth and innovation at SJC. And her successor – S. George Aquin’s longtime executive assistant, S. Elizabeth A. Hill – kept up the momentum.
To accommodate its expanding enrollment and to meet the needs and expectations of its students, SJC embarked on an ambitious master building plan that transformed the landscapes of SJC Long Island and SJC Brooklyn. The campus in Long Island saw the construction of the John A. Danzi Athletic Center in 1997 and the Business Technology Center in 2002. Meanwhile in Brooklyn, the College in 1998 took over St. Joseph’s Hall at 256 Clinton Ave., then in 2001 purchased its original home, St. Angela Hall Academy.
Technology upgrades included the introduction of “smart classrooms” college-wide, bringing the student learning experience fully into the digital age. Throughout this process, the College’s enrollment and reputation thrived, and its excellence was noted by such national publications as the U.S. News & World Report for the first time.
Heidi Hayden ’97, M.S. ’05
